The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1887-08-04
MATTHIAS sPLITLoa
EAs WOsasrnui carssr q IN InAian lEm-

Ehs Wondsrnal Career q IN Indian Nm
soaairs Rallrsae BuiidsE.
Matthias Bpiitlsg IL q full -bl0oded Wysu-
dotts Indian, and was born IN 30 Indian
village In Canada, and shortly aftarWard
moved 70 Ohio. While . boy be was sp-
prenticed 70 . carpenter and miliwright
and, although his wages we're only seven
dollars per month, young sPlItlog thought
be was getting rich. He imbibed love
for machinery aud Inventions, which has
caused him 20 lend q helping hand 70
many q poor fellow who had q useful In
Veution which only needed money 70
develop it and make IL pay.
6plitiog's FIRST venture, writes q NeOshe
correspondent % the St. Louis Re5Hbiiean,
wa 20 build 6 steamboat, which he did in
company with his brother They launch.
ed the beat upon the 81. Clair river and
started I'm the fishing trade. Uncle Sam
soon became jealous Of the boys, and con
nscated The boat on q charge Of snug.
Cling.
In 1919 the Wy sndottos. who were the
las Of the Indian tribes then in Ohio. By
tire treaty Of the Upper Sandusky, ceded
10 the United States their lands in that
State, and received In exchange land in
wi az IL now WyandOtte County, Kas. In
trioe and found, after his arrival AZ West
Port Landing (uoW Kansas City, that he
only had fifty cents in his pocket. He in
du ced an old Indian 10 90 his security fot
the price Of an axe. With this axe be
cut cOrdWood for the steamboats, 81 the
rate Of twenty-five cents per cord, and
aftsr paying for the aka which cost three
dollars. he sooa saved enough 70 buy
pony, and shortly afterward we dad him
with . herd Of horses. About 1851 Split
log was married 70 the granddaughter Of
the old man who went his security for
the price Of the axe, and shortly after
wards began TO build . mill At this time
he had no money 70 pay for labor,
90 that be did the work
himself He selected the timber,
cut and hauled the logs, and then had q
''rn .sing.h that is, had his nelg bors come
and help raise the building. He flushed
the mill himself, with every thing but the
burrA These would cost 81 that time
$50, and Splitlog had no money; still he
was determined aot ITO give up the idea
Of running 9 nilL" When In this d.
lemma a steam boat which was unload
ing q pair Of burs at the 'iandiug," srci-
dentallY let them fall over board, and they
sank 70 the bottom OF the Missouri river.
Splitlog, learning Of this, contracted with
the owner 70 pay him twenty-five dollars
for the burs and take them up himself
which he eventually did after much
trouble and hard work, and having goi
the buFs out Of the river Il took but s
short time to get ready to starr the mill
The machinery was rugged for horse
power, aud the day that Splitlog started
be hitched In eight unbrokeu horses from
his herd and earned eighty-five cents In
cash, and In the evening he gave this
money 70 his wife and told her to 60 10
NOrthrup's (Splitlog's present banker in
Kansas CITY, and buy them something
good 70 eat, as he now had that much
money he did not need.
SplitlOg's mill was q success, aud 10
1855 we ind him one Of the leading men
Of bis tribe. By the treaty OF the Upper
Sandnsky the WyandOttes were not al.
lowed 70 ALLEVIATE their lands, but in the
year 1855 . new treaty was made between
the Wyandottes and the United States
which severed the tribal relations Of the
WyandOtteA
After the adoption Of this treaty Split
log began 20 speculate In real estate, and
although he can neither read nor write,
be has been one Of the most successful
spectators 10 the neighbO hood Of Kan.
sas City, and IL to-day worth over q mill.
ION dollars. About fourteen years age
BplitlOg moved 10 Indian Territory and
located on Elk river, near the Missouri
line, and about four miles from TN City,
and recently he became Interested In a
silver mine In MrDOnald County, Mis-
souri, With his characteristic energy he
began operations at once. He hired q
mining expert named b. r. Requa, from
Chicago, 10 superintend the operations al
h. nil Nd hararnHnur hot
70 develope the mines and build up the
town Of Splltlog q railroad was necessa-
~. he, together with his partner in the
mines, Noses W. Clay, commenced neRo-
tiating with the projectors Of the New
Or Sans, Matches a Fort Scott Railroad
Company, and soon that company was
formed for the purpose Of building g
railroad between the terminal points
named in their title and running by way
Of NeOsho aud Splitlog City. Ills com.
pany being too slow 20 meet the vigorous
IDEAS OF SplltlOg and Clay, they severed
their connection with the same. and
M Lhias splitlog, Moses W. Clay, George |
HuDbert, and others organized the Kan
sas City, Fort Smith & Southern Rail. |
rOa Company, with q capital Of 5000. |
900, for the purpose Of building q railroad |
from Kansas City 10 Fort Smith, passing |
Uni uuku bplitioB lily ana NeOano ms /
rosi Is now graded for about thirty |
miles between Splitlog City and Joplin, |
and il Is only q question OF a
few months when the cars viii run south |
wa from Joplin 10 Fort Smith, and |
Ma aias Splitlog, the millionaire Indian,
who IL probably the richest man Of his /
race. will be known all over the country |
a. 1 e only Indian railroad man In the /
Uni ed States
NJ. Splitlog has Eve children-four /
boys and one girl-and now lives AZ Split /
log City, Mcdonald County, No. He is j
like most men Of his race, tacitutn In his |
habits, seldom speaking In more than /
mOnosyllables, (stIll he is far from being |
disa -reeable) because he can mike him.
self clearly understood In very few
words, and Is q good listener and quick to
catch point In the discussion OF any /
question; and when he determines what
course 70 pursue, he begins at once In the
execUt ton Of his plans aud never ceases
until he has accomplished his ends.